Aryna Sabalenka played a great match in Melbourne to win her second Australian Open title and her second Grand Slam. She defeated Qinwen Zheng in straight sets and was all smiles after her win. Sabalenka was in a celebratory mood as she was seen dancing around with the trophy. Although she loved each moment, she could not forget her father, who became a big reason for her improvement in tennis. 

After the match, Saba sat down for the post-match press conference and talked about the dark times she has faced in her life and how those continue to impact her. However, she managed to overcome them to win the Aussie slam.

Aryna Sabalenka shares heart-wrenching reason behind her progress

Sabalenka had to bid farewell to her father in 2019. Sergey Sabalenka was a big supporter of the Belarusian beauty, who was a significant part of her tennis dream. There was a time when Sabalenka was not ready enough to win a Grand Slam title. The Belarusian star recently lifted her second grand slam trophy and shared the concerns she had during dark times in her life.

Sabalenka said, “Well, of course there was really a moment where I really didn’t believe that I’m gonna win it one day, especially those period when I was serving double faults and couldn’t fix my serve. There was a lot of up and downs. But, you know, I just couldn’t quit. You know, I felt like I just have to keep doing what I’m doing.”

Sabalenka, who had lost her father in 2019, cited him as a major reason for wanting to improve in tennis and become one of its best players. “I just have to keep fighting for my dream and make sure that if there is something, I want to believe there is something that my father is watching me and very proud of me. So I just couldn’t stop for my family. Of course there is the moment when you’re, like, probably I will never get it.”

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Although negative thoughts still plague her mind, she continues to look ahead and become a better version of herself. Her efforts have proved to be fantastic so far. She has managed to overcome every mental block that threatened to hold her back. She became one of the five women to win the first slam of the year without dropping a set. Her dominance is just beginning, and we are sure to see more such performances in the future. 

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